


Tarzania

by Michina



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Murder, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Hijacking, Organized Crime, POV Original Female Character, Shipwrecks, Survival, Vomiting, Wilderness Survival, castaway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 05:38:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michina/pseuds/Michina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tarzania features Laurel, a female Pokemon Champion exiled from her home continent due to an attempt on her life by the criminal team she brought down, eventually finding herself washed up on untouched tropical islands. Make no mistake – she is on no vacation. Because it is undisturbed by and unknown to humans, the Pokemon are stronger and there will be no amenities like Pokemon Centers, Marts, or any food or water other than what she finds on her own. The bonds between Laurel and her Pokemon, as well as her competence as a trainer, will be all that separates her and death by exposure. Although she will be accompanied by her trusted Pokemon, Laurel will be tested to her physical and mental limits.</p><p>Tarzania originated in a vivid dream inspired by the music of the doomed vessel S.S. Libra, which plays a major part in the beginning of the story. For optimal reading, please play the S.S. Libra music in the background at any point in the story for as long or short as you like, it will always be appropriate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue I: Whistlebreaker

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome and thank you for choosing to visit! I'm your tour guide to the world of Tarzania!
> 
> Tarzania begins in an original Pokemon region named Zalio, which exists in the same world as Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova. Zalio is based on a country that you other-worlders call "Italy". However, the other major regions are quite far and more than a few days' sail away; the closest region to Zalio is the Orre region, and both maintain close contact with each other. The majority of the story, however, will not take place in any region, but on the Uncharted Islands.
> 
> Generation 6 and 7 Pokemon, as well as Mega Evolutions, remain unknown to the inhabitants of Zalio and Orre. But the unexpected can always happen on the Uncharted Islands....
> 
> Laurel's Pokemon will too be tested by the islands; just because they are Pokemon doesn't make the harsh conditions any easier for those who have not adapted to them. Most possess unwavering loyalty to Laurel, but some may be more pragmatic and find that working in a group hinders their own survival. Here's a handy list in case you forget whom Laurel has on hand:
> 
> Cindy ♀ the Xatu  
> Soaker ♀ the Blastoise  
> Zoff ♂ the Flygon  
> Eight-Ball ♂ or Eights, the Weavile  
> Mash ♂ the Sawk  
> Hibachi ♀ or Hachi, the Volcarona
> 
> You will learn more about Laurel's Pokemon, such as their battle capabilities and relationship with Laurel, when they appear in the story. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for visiting the world of Tarzania! Sit back in your comfy chair and enjoy....you'll soon learn not to take small comforts for granted.

_Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Laurel._

At first, it felt like winning any other battle. The significance of her victory didn't kick in until a few moments later. “I did it, I did it!” Laurel screamed, jumping up and down. “I'm the Pokemon League Champion of Zalio!”

Laurel's rise was unexpected, with a background different from the previous Champions: she was a 17 year old who hailed from Cannolini Town, a simple farm commune that grew wheat as well as cultivating Moo Moo Milk and Combee honey for the rest of the region. The town's professor, a former world traveler, noticed her wanderlust and intelligence, and together they worked hard to convince her mother that the prospective trainer had a bright future outside of farming. Thankfully they overcame her mother's suspicion of big city folk, because Laurel became one of the most talented and prodigious trainers Zalio had seen in recent times.

Hard work deserved a vacation – after all, a Champion's load of duties would follow. She soon arrived in Costiero City, a bustling, beautiful, and touristy coastside city. It was well known throughout the Pokemon world for its cutthroat rivalry with Slateport City in Hoenn – they were so similar in size, culture, and importance that it was if they were twin siblings competing to set themselves apart and gain the upper hand in their individual achievements.

After a day of travel, Laurel settled into her room at a small inn and turned on the TV. In Zalio, it was customary to announce the exploits of Pokemon League Champions on all media channels, so news spread quickly. It just so happened that the local news was running a feature on her right at that moment:

_Welcome to News at 4. Zalio has a new Pokemon League Champion - congratulations to Laurel of Cannolini Town, and her partners, Cindy the Xatu, Soaker the Blastoise, Zoff the Flygon, Eight-Ball the Weavile, Mash the Sawk, and Hibachi the Volcarona! I'll bring this over to our Pokemon battle analyst, who'll bring you more juicy details of the exciting final match!_

The enthusiastic news report spurred her to indulge in her ego - she planned on returning home after a few days vacationing in Costiero, and began daydreaming about the hero's welcome she would receive. Banners that said “PRIDE OF CANNOLINI” held by her cheering neighbors, confetti and fireworks flying in the sky, a feast rivaling the excesses of harvest, her mother weeping joyous tears after a boastful “I told you so!”. Maybe there would be a mob or two of fans begging for her autograph to delay her way home.

All of a sudden, one of the short frumpy housekeepers entered the room in a panic and locked the door behind her. She looked very alarmed and in a rush. _How rude!_ Laurel thought, _Interrupting my daydream._

“Git out! Git out!” she shouted with a thick accent, frantically opening the window and motioning her to go through it onto the walkway. “Queeckly!”

Laurel, confused but not frightened, slowly moved towards the window. One foot was outside when the door was slammed open violently with its fragile hinges ripped out, revealing a tall and lanky man with red hair in a bouffant. But it wasn't the sudden entry that terrified her, it was the ominous black suit, tie, collared shirt, and sunglasses. Clearly this was not an overenthusiastic fan wishing her a hearty congratulations, but a figure from her nightmares....a monster she hadn't vanquished. The shock caused her to botch her exit, tripping and falling down on the ground on the other side of the window. A loud POP! made her soon realize that this time around, her clumsiness was fortuitous. She felt small pebbles that were sent flying by a bullet hitting the column, and her stomach sunk to the pits.

 _Santo cazzo di merda,_  she panicked.  _He has a gun. And he's using it against me. He wants me dead. Cazzo!_

Laurel quickly pulled her other leg back out and crawled her way to the other side of the wall towards the stairs that led to the street.

_All I know is that I don't want today to be my last day alive._

She got back up and ran as fast as she could down the stairs and got a brief glimpse of the assassin's red hair and glasses before she hit the street and rounded another corner. She heard another gunshot and that it caused chaos in the busy street traffic, but she had no time to look back and see how close or far the assassin was. She kept running, passing the rows of trattorias and gift shops aimed at tourists in the main square. _Cazzo di merda!_  Suddenly, other men in the same black suits appeared in both directions. _Am I done for?_

A Victini must have smiled upon Laurel, for a small window of opportunity suddenly opened up. Right next to her, she noticed a rack of cheaply made, overpriced shawls and counterfeit sunglasses left unattended near a boutique. Because there were so many people, it was difficult to see any identifying features of individuals other than a brief glimpse of faces and heads. She discreetly slipped on a shawl colored a shade of blue reminiscent of washed out denim over her head, along with a pair of large-rimmed, obscuring sunglasses that would gain the approval of many a _nonna_ ; with them, she could disguise herself to buy herself some time to plan a better escape route. There was one place nearby where she could do just that - the world famous docks of Costiero.

\---

When she arrived, Laurel tried to mix in with the busy sailors to avoid drawing attention to herself. After examining her perimeter, she noticed the only building along the pier: a metallic medium sized, round-roofed building. She guessed that it was the main office of the port. Entering the doors,

Laurel noticed that the office felt much smaller than it looked from the outside. It was in all other respects a typical office – dated electronics here and there, binders full of documents that would likely never be consulted again, and picture frames with photos of the employees' family members peeking out from the mess.

“ _Scusi,_ ” she said, grabbing the attention of the attending clerk. “I'm in urgent need of a ticket and I didn't book in advance. I was wondering if you knew if any ships heading out of Zalio that are scheduled to set sail today?”

The clerk adjusted her glasses and studied Laurel for a moment before speaking. “Sure, I can pull up a list for you, but we don't sell tickets here. We're purely an administrative office, so you'd have to go and talk to the crew of each ship to convince them to let you on. I don't know if they would take a walk-on like you, but don't let me stop you from trying.”

“That's alright, a list would be fine.” Laurel responded.

The clerk walked over to the computer located just behind the counter.

“Oh, and could you tell me where to find them?”

The clerk nodded.

Every keyboard stroke, the slight adjustment of the clerk's glasses, and the barely audible ticking of the office clock amplified the internal physical and mental chaos that Laurel had to temporarily subdue. It was as if time slowed and she was made to suffer for the adrenaline that had built up inside. She felt like she was wasting her pulsing energy by standing still instead of moving far, far away, but she fought to force herself to be patient. _Just a little bit longer. Running out now won't do you any good, now will it?_

Finally, the clerk finished. “I can only give you a list of the commercial ships setting sail today. This afternoon, we have the _Lady Gorebyss_ departing at 12:15 with service to Canalave Port, the S.S. Wave Guider at 1:45 going to Virbank City, the submarine _Mantine of Celerity_ leaving at 2:30 to helm a civilian research expedition to dock at Slateport on its completion....”

Laurel looked up at the clock. The clerk probably didn't realize from the drudgery of her job that it was already past 3.

“....the S.S. Libra departing at 5:30 to Gateon Port, and finally, the famous S.S. Anne leaving for Vermillion City in the Kanto region at 8:45. The Anne's hard to miss, there's always a sizeable crowd seeing that one off, I tell ya. Might even be fireworks. ”

It was nearly 5, so Laurel decided quickly that she would seek out the Libra. She hurried out of the office as soon as the clerk handed her the printed list of departures, trying to keep calm. After all, running in a panic would draw attention to herself.

S.S. Libra was not far from the office. Taking a short doubletake, Laurel saw that it was a beautiful, majestic, modern ship with an aesthetically pleasing blue and white paintjob accentuated with a thin yellow band and large Pokeball decals on its sides. Its metallic exterior was so crisp and clean that it was as if sunlight radiated off it, and even the font that spelt LIBRA on its port bow looked like a work of postmodern art. It was a shame that she didn't have the time to behold the sights as she should have on her vacation, but being on the run meant even the loss of even the smallest of luxuries.

“How much is a ticket?” she bluntly asked the sailor supervising the gangway.

“Ma'am, we're a cargo sh-”

She very nearly lost her composure, attempting to be as assertive as possible without making a scene. “NAME YOUR PRICE. _Please._ This is a matter of life and death. I don't have much time.” Her desperation was such that she had her wallet out and almost found herself shoving the sailor out of the way in her frantic rush to get inside the ship.

One of the ship's officers performing an inspection on deck walked over and nodded. “We're heading to a place called Gateon Port, in Orre. We'll only charge you our flat fee for cargo, which admittedly is a bit pricier than your average ferry ticket, but it'll get you out of here.”

Upon the officer's approach, Laurel briefly let down her glasses to reveal her face. “I'll pay you triple if you don't let anyone else who's not on the crew board this ship.”

“No need, I got ya. Welcome aboard.”


	2. Prologue II: Gale of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel ponders over the motives of her assassins and the choices she made prior to becoming Champion of the Zalio region. Later, the capture of the S.S. Libra changes everything.

Laurel sat down. It felt like an eternity since she could do that, despite her ordeal lasting less than half a day. She wrapped herself in a blanket – the shaking was painful and tears started falling. After pushing it to its physical and mental limits, her body felt so numb that it didn't feel like she was in control of it.

She knew who was after her. La Squadra Nostra, or “Our Team” in the Zalian language, was a powerful crime syndicate she personally brought to its apparent demise. The LSN had a long and storied history in Zalio, involved in political corruption, trafficking of both humans and Pokemon, extortion, and a long list of other criminal enterprises. It is even said that the first boss of Team Rocket, in the distant Kanto region, was a former LSN member who emigrated from Zalio and decided to be his own boss.

 _Was it worth it?_ It started when they bullied the shopkeeper from her hometown, who happened to be a family friend. They were low level crooks attempting to extort protection money and claim Cannolini as their territory, but were easily driven out by Cindy and Soaker. Laurel couldn't help but manage a small grin – she had grown so much since then. It was not much longer after she was given Soaker as a Squirtle by the professor and Cindy was still a Natu, spoiled as a member of her family. That encounter was probably her first Pokemon battle, and here she was now - Champion.

 _An exiled Champion,_ she reminded herself, continuing to ponder the question of whether it was worth it. While traveling across Zalio to challenge Gym Leaders, Laurel continued to encounter La Squadra Nostra and shut down their operations wherever she could. She eventually publicly exposed the mayor of Cisilia City as the capo (“boss”) of LSN – Don Manzani - defeating him and leading to his imprisonment. The organization could no longer exist publicly and the remaining holdouts were easily cleaned up by the police with their power concentration removed.

A powerful and profitable criminal empire wasn't going to give up just because a teenage farm girl defeated their Pokemon muscle and humiliated them so that the civilians of Zalio not only no longer feared them, but actively resisted them\\. Ultimately, humans can do many things that Pokemon can't, no matter how many powerful Pokemon they acquire. LSN decided that only human hands could solve their No. 1 problem and begin the process of rebuilding, hence the made men sent to kill her.

Did she do the right thing? Yes, undeniably - Zalio was freed from a scourge. But Laurel couldn't help but feel a bit bitter that she alone paid the price for doing so much good. No one else was in potential danger for the rest of their lives nor had their greatest accomplishment in life destroyed in one day, but the real heartbreak was thinking about how long it was since she last saw home.

The ship suddenly shook violently. She was so weak and in shock that she vomited a little in her mouth. _Did LSN find me?_ Spitting into the trash can, she decided it would be best to join the crew outside.

The deck was in utter chaos; night had long since fallen, helicopters surrounded the ship, and the panicked sailors scrambled every which way. A terrible scream emanated across the sky, silencing the yelling sailors, yet Laurel only felt relief because it was at that moment she realized it most likely wasn't LSN attacking the ship. An unrecognizable twisted beast appeared; with dark navy skin, its eyes a furious red, and a giant wingspan keeping it afloat, it looked more like a terrible demon than Pokemon.

The horrible beast rared to attack the ship; Laurel ran towards the edge of the deck as it fired a beam. The overwhelming force caused her to lose control and she was suddenly in the air off the deck. She was falling, but the ship was flying – _the beam didn't destroy the ship, it's lifting it!?_ For a brief moment, she felt the bitterly cold air of night on the open sea and the frigid water right as she hit it.

The next thing she felt was tropical heat and a painfully dry mouth.

She opened her eyes to Soaker sitting beside her as she lay on a beach; she smiled and looked so relieved when she noticed Laurel wake up! Laurel didn't know how she managed to escape her Pokeball, but she was alive because of that. She was too weak to get up right that second, but she reached out to hug Soaker.

“Soaker,” she asked as they embraced, “where are we?”

Soaker shook her head. In the wild, Blastoise were nomadic and seafaring creatures who sought the nearest landmass to breed and hold beachfront colonies. It didn't matter whether the landmass was called Zalio or Orre by humans – land was land. It made sense that Soaker just picked the closest way to safety but didn't know where it was in relation to Zalio or Orre; Pokemon act on instinct and don't know the intricacies of cartography, a strictly human discipline.

Laurel opened up her knapsack, first making sure all six Pokeballs were there – at least the gang was safe. Afterwards, she took out her PDA, or Poke Digital Assistant, hoping it was not damaged. It turned on, but the map function showed nothing but blue water and there was no reception for calls. _At least the step counter and Dex are working?_

Taking a look around, there didn't seem to be any settlements nearby. The PDA wasn't broken at an inconvenient time – this was unknown and uncharted territory, far from help. After everything she had experienced, Laurel couldn't catch a single break, pounding sand with her fist in frustration.

_No time for crying. No time for panicking. Let's start by finding some food and then we can work out a plan._

Laurel was not very good at forward thinking. Like her delayed reaction to becoming Champion or not being able to anticipate becoming a target of a vast criminal empire for opposing them, she simply had no idea what trials lay ahead.

_All I know is that I don't want today to be my last day alive._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is implied the S.S. Libra crew never made it to land and died of either exposure or drowning – you can tell from the (admittedly shitty) open cinematic of Pokemon XD that these guys possessed neither flotation devices nor anything to call for help, and later on it is mentioned that the crew was not found as of 3 days of the abduction of the ship. This fic makes the assumption that the rest of the crew did not survive, thus the true story of the S.S. Libra is not widely known at this point.


End file.
